Terminology Starter

Rhythm and Tempo

Rhythm: The controlled movement of music in time.

Beat:  Regular pulsation; a basic unit of length in musical time.

Accent:  An emphasis in length or loudness of a sound.

Syncopation:  Unexpected or unpredictable accents.

Dotted Rhythms:  A rhythmic pattern defined by the alternation of long and short notes.

Measure:  A rhythmic grouping or metrical unit that contains a fixed number of beats.

Meter:  The underlying rhythmic pattern of a measure. 

Duple Meter:  Basic metrical pattern of two beats to a measure.

Triple Meter:  Basic metrical pattern of three beats to a measure.

Tempo (Rate of speed or pace of music):
            Presto – very very fast
            Vivace
            Allegro
            Moderato
            Andante – “to walk.”  A walking tempo
            Adagio
            Largo
            Grave – very very slow

Accelerando:  When a piece speeds up (as in “the piece has an accelerando near the end”).

Ritardando:  When a piece slows down.

Melody  

Melody:  A succession of single tones or pitches perceived by the mind as a unity.

Pitch:  Highness or lowness of a tone, depending on the frequency (rate of vibration).

Phrase:  Musical unit; often a component of a melody.

Sequence:  Restatement of an idea or motive at a different pitch level (higher or lower).

Blue Note:  A slight drop of pitch on the third, fifth, or seventh tone of the scale, common in blues and jazz. Also bent pitch.

Conjunct:  Smooth, connected melody that moves principally by small intervals.

Disjunct:  Disjointed or disconnected melody with many leaps.

Countermelody:  An accompanying melody sounded against the principal melody.  

Harmony 

Harmony:  The simultaneous sounding of pitches.

Chord:  The simultaneous combination of three or more tones that constitute a single block of harmony.

Interval:  Distance and relationship between two pitches.

Major, Minor:  Two types of harmonies, often with happy and sad associations, respectively. 

Consonance:  A “pretty” combination of tones that provides a sense of relaxation and stability in music.

Dissonance:  An “ugly” combination of tones that sound tense and in need of resolution.

Octave:  An interval spanning eight steps; the lower note vibrates half as fast as the upper and sounds an octave lower.

Fifth:  An interval spanning five steps.

Tonic:  The first note of a scale (the tonic or keynote "do"), which serves as the home base around which the other pitches revolve and to which they ultimately gravitate.

Pedal Point:  Sustained tone over which the harmonies change.  (Also called a “drone.”)

Texture 

Texture: The interweaving of melodic [horizontal] and harmonic [vertical] elements in the musical fabric

Monophonic:  Texture with one voice or melodic line (such as plainchant).

Homophonic:  Texture with principal melody and accompanying harmony, as distinct from polyphonic.

Polyphonic:  Two or more melodic lines combined into a multi-voiced texture (as distinct from “monophonic” texture, which is one melodic line).

Imitation:  A type of polyphonic texture in which a melodic idea is presented in one voice (or “part”), then restated in another while the first voice continues with new material.

Dynamics  

Dynamics: An element of musical expression relating to the degree of loudness—or volume—of a sound.

Crescendo:  The dynamic effect of gradually growing louder.

Decrescendo:  The dynamic effect of gradually growing softer.

Piano:  Dynamically soft sounds (p)

Forte:  Dynamically loud sounds (f)

Mezzo forte:  Medium loud (mf)

Mezzo piano:  Medium soft (mp)

Pianissimo:  Very soft (pp)

Fortissimo:  Very loud (ff)

Other

Cadence:  Resting place in a musical phrase; music punctuation.

Form:  The structure or shape of a musical work, based on repetition, contrast, and variation.

Movement:  Complete, self-contained part within a larger musical work.

Downbeat:  The accented beat – usually the first beat in the measure.  

Upbeat:  An unaccented beat – usually the last beat of the measure.    Ostinato:  A short melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic pattern that is repeated throughout a work or a section of one.

Timbre:  The quality of a sound that distinguishes one voice or instrument from another. Also called “tone color.”

Vibrato:  A small fluctuation of pitch used as an expressive device to intensify a sound.